More gloom ahead for SADC�s growling stomachs

The last time SADC launched a global appeal for humanitarian assistance, Malawian president, Bakili Muluzi of Malawi was SADC chair and he led the quest for $611 million in aid, after El Nino decimated the 2001-2002 farming season.

By the time SADC and the UN jointly launched the appeal in July 2002, at least 15.2 million regional citizens had been pushed to the edge of starvation by El Nino, a cyclical climate phenomenon associated with rain deficits, heatwaves and flooding.